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thestateisgreen t1_j5jpasb wrote

Meow

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Dr_JackMeoff OP t1_j5jq1zn wrote

I think you're using your Summer Reddit account. You should be using your "thestateiswhite" one right now!

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utohforgotmyusername t1_j5jt45e wrote

Beautiful animal! What part do the state are you in?

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Stockmom42 t1_j5kicka wrote

They are beautiful even if they steal our chickens occasionally.

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Dr_JackMeoff OP t1_j5kkav1 wrote

Oh man good point. I have been thinking of getting chickens lately and though "ugh I'd have to worry about raccoons, opossums, coyotes and hawks getting them"....I guess now I need to be more worried about bobcats haha

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greenmtnfiddler t1_j5lg1gj wrote

You only need to worry about one thing: building the correct structure the first time.

Solid night coop, no cracks, weasel-proof wire on all outlets, 3 feet per bird minimum, so say 8-12 birds in a coop made on a 4x8 base.

Outside roofed-over day run, hawk/coyote-proof, can be lightweight with very open wire, just make sure it goes down into the ground.

Be faithful about when you let them in/out.

Free-range when the timing is right - when there's enough human activity to keep foxes away, when the sun is out -- hawks will hunt on overcast days when they don't flash a shadow for warning.

There's still going to be a nature-tax to pay, you will lose a few birds to your own learning curve and theirs, but in general you can keep a flock safe and happy, you just have to be realistic.

Adjust this plan to slightly-more-relaxed if you're around more people; add in more precautions like electrified wires at night if you live further out in the boonies. Everybody loves the taste of chicken, and putting your coop ten feet from the puckerbrush is more or less setting out a buffet. :)

But don't let this dissuade you! It's worth it. Chickens are cool. :)

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Dr_JackMeoff OP t1_j5li04g wrote

Thanks for that, very helpful. How do you keep their water from freezing in Winter? (If I built a coop it'd be in the corner of our yard, not close to electricity) Run a long extension cord? haha

Yeah I bet!

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anothervtcouple t1_j5ls6s3 wrote

I dug a 4-5’ deep hole in our run and put a small piece of plywood over it with a 5” hole in the center to place our water dispenser over. It keeps it from freezing most days, when it gets closer to 0 it doesn’t help though.

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SilverKelpie t1_j5r5fid wrote

I just set water out for them in the AM every day, but there are heated waterers.

I want to add, when you use the hardware cloth (Not chicken wire) to enclose your run, lay some of it under/around the edges flat on the ground. Bury it if you are motivated (or just let grass grow over time and sink it into the ground). Foils the digging predators.

Also be careful if you use heat lamps. Their benefits are debatable (I don’t use them), but the yearly incidents of people‘s coops burning down are not.

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syphax t1_j5on73b wrote

Very good advice. My only comment is that we have lost a bird or two with people outside- I walked to the far side of the house for a couple mins and a coyote got one. And we also had a hawk attack under similar circumstances, but that bird survived (long story)!

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Stockmom42 t1_j5kkz9e wrote

The bobcat is our biggest issue during the day, unless you put up an electric fence it’s tough to free range. My property has water on it so it’s a part of the bobcats territory, so we just try and work around it.

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WhatTheCluck802 t1_j5kxnz2 wrote

We have lost chickens to hawk, fisher, fox, skunk. No bobcat, bear, or coyote… yet.

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OMGLOL1986 t1_j5kv94k wrote

“If not fren why fren shape?”

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Cobdain t1_j5k46sl wrote

My wife had a bobcat decimate her rabbit population this fall. Thing was ripping cages open and just grabbing them. Super cool animals, I was ok feeding it

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Sea-Election-9168 t1_j5lj1u8 wrote

Most unrealistic fake Sasquatch photoshop I have ever seen!

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jimfoxer t1_j5r3stc wrote

I've never been able to tell the difference between a bobcat and a Canadian lynx. I thought I captured a bobcat on my camera, and was told it was a lynx. Since I live in the NEK near the border, both bobcats and lynxes are in the area. I can't see the tail or the length of legs of the cat in the photo, so I'm stumped.

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-PineMarten t1_j5r7mv9 wrote

This is a great question. It's a difficult ID to place, and many people think they are the same animal, or confuse them. https://vtfishandwildlife.com/canada-lynx-or-bobcat-learn-the-difference Generally, Lynx have longer cheek and ear tufts.

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Dr_JackMeoff OP t1_j5tham5 wrote

Do you know if it's worth reporting a bobcat sighting to authorities, or are they common enough in most of Vermont that they wouldn't care?

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-PineMarten t1_j5vgqbl wrote

Generally Lynx are the species they want reported, as they are endangered. I'm not 100% sure about bobcat, so I would check with fish and wildlife's website! I think they have an animal sighting report thing somewhere.

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Goatette t1_j5m3zf2 wrote

Legit saw one cross over northbound lane of 89 near exit 19's onramp early Saturday morning

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